It's a bit of a dirty secret about poker tournaments, but many of them end up in deals. It makes sense: in a major tournament hundreds of thousands of dollars could be on the line with such short stacks that it's something of a crapshoot. However, it doesn't make for good TV for the World Poker Tour and others, so it doesn't get talked about.

If you're entering a poker tournament, here's a good rule thumb for deal-making: unless you know what you're doing, don't do it! The other players will only take deals that are advantageous for them. So if they're offering you a deal, you have to wonder why. Don't worry about the social pressure that will tell you to deal – if you're not confident you're getting a good offer, just play it out.

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